Rising expectations: Complex along Rt. 315 already lining up tenants

Like a scoreboard over an outfield, the new apartment complex called 600 Goodale towers over Rt. 315.

Jim Weiker, The Columbus Dispatch

Like a scoreboard over an outfield, the new apartment complex called 600 Goodale towers over Rt. 315.

For almost a year, drivers entering or exiting the freeway at Goodale Boulevard have seen the five-story building rise.

Now, with leasing under way, the big question surrounding the complex is about to be answered: Will tenants pay luxury rents to live a stone’s throw from an expressway?

So far, says developer Brett Kaufman, the answer is yes.

Kaufman said 35 of the 174 building units have been pre-leased — a rate encouraging enough for him to raise by about 5 percent the rents for the remaining units.

“All you have to do is step into the building and see what the views are — of the skyline Downtown, or looking north to the Horseshoe, or west overlooking the Olentangy River,” he said. "The views are great, and people understand that it’s an urban environment.”

The apartments will have some luxury appointments, such as granite countertops and hardwood floors, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from 590-square-foot studio units that rent for $875 a month to 2,019-square-foot three-bedroom penthouses that fetch $3,295. To help mask the highway sound, Kaufman has added extra layers of drywall and commercial-grade windows to the apartments.

The location is one of many unusual features of the complex, which is trying to distinguish itself from almost two dozen other apartment complexes rising in or near Downtown, the Short North and Victorian Village areas.

Kaufman, who runs Kaufman Development, borrowed some concepts from his company’s Gramercy complex in New Albany and from projects he worked on with his previous employer, the Schottenstein Real Estate Group.

In those developments, Kaufman has tried to foster something rare in typically transient apartment complexes: a sense of community.

Besides amenities now standard in high-end complexes such as clubhouses, exercise rooms, fitness classes, pools and patios, the Gramercy and 600 Goodale offer a large menu of activities, including a community garden, running clubs, speaker series and philanthropic events.

The Goodale complex will also feature an entrepreneurial program that grants discounted rents and office space to a business venture started by a resident.

“We want passion for business innovation and innovation in general to be part of the community,” Kaufman said.

He expects the first tenants to move in by June, with all units possibly available by October.